Read this charming sci-fi short story about love, radio waves, and David Bowie

To mark the anniversary of David Bowie's birth and death last week, author and activist Sam J Miller wrote a new short story for Tor.com titled "Let The Children Boogie." Set in the Hudson Valley in 1991, the story follows two queer teenagers named Laurie and Fell as they discover each other, and rock & roll, and a strange message broadcast over radio waves that may or may not come from the future. — Read the rest
Tags: Post, News, Fiction, David Bowie, Short Stories, Short Fiction, Starman, Hudson Valley, Laurie, Short Story, Recommended Reading, Sam J Miller

X Marks the Story: September 2018

Finding excellent short SFF can often feel like hunting for buried treasure. Sometimes it takes a guide to help fill in the map, connecting readers with fantastic fiction and showing where X Marks The Story–a new monthly column from Charles Payseur. Sometimes, you just have let your nerd flag fly. Have a secret love of stories featuring space whales? Can’t resist a tale about a princess rescuing a dragon from a wicked prince? Stay up late searching for fiction where rough and rowdy pilots race ...
Tags: Books, France, Earth, Bbc, House, Moon, Miami, Sherlock Holmes, John, Bar, Ada, William Alexander, Bette, Klein, Blanche, Meriam

Guest Book Review: Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller

Today, we are giving the floor over to Charles Payseur, a member of our Smuggler Army with his monthly column X Marks the Story and a Book Smugglers Author, to talk about Sam J. Miller’s recently published novel Blackfish City. Genre: Science Fiction Publisher: Ecco /Orbit Publication date: April 2018 Hardcover: 328 pages After the climate wars, a floating city is constructed in the Arctic Circle, a remarkable feat of mechanical and social engineering, complete with geothermal heating and susta...
Tags: Books, Science Fiction, New York, Book Reviews, Arctic Circle, Miller, Guest Review, 9 Rated Books, Charles Payseur, Sam J. Miller, Smuggler Army, Qaanaaq, Blackfish City, Kaev

7 New Books for Speculative Fiction Fans

Speculative fiction fans have a lot to chose from this month, with stories that reach back into the past to offer alternate histories and others that look forward to a dazzling (or despairing) future. The 7 books I feature today are on my personal reading list; this roundup is not meant to present everything new in sci-fi and fantasy, just the books that caught my attention this week. The Diminished by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson (Harlequin Teen; April 10): In a land in which twins are the norm,...
Tags: Books, Japan, New Orleans, Beth F, Sam J Miller, Yoko Tawada, Ortberg, Kaitlyn Sage Patterson Harlequin Teen, Margaret Mitsutani, Lexa Hillyer HarperTeen, Mallory Ortberg Holt Paperbacks, Grimm Shakespeare, Jack McDevitt Saga Press, Bryan Camp HMH, Arctic Circle Crime

The Hugo Awards 2018 Nominees (and Aurealis, Ditmar Award News)

It is that time of year again, folks–awards season! We are thrilled to share with you the news of three major speculative fiction awards: The Hugo Awards, The Aurealis Awards, and the Ditmar Award. The Hugo Awards are one of the longest-running SFF awards, distinguished from all other major speculative fiction awards in that it is voted on by fans who are members of the World Science Fiction Convention. Each year, Hugo Award winners (and associated Not-A-Hugo-Awards, like the Campbell) are ann...
Tags: Books, UK, New York, Awards, US, Bbc, Guillermo Del Toro, Ursula K Le Guin, Steven Moffat, Marvel Studios, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Charlie Brooker, SFF, Ana, Kim Stanley Robinson, Ann Leckie

Celebrity Picks: Cassandra Clare's Favorite Reads of 2017

Cassandra Clare understands the hearts of young adults. Between her Shadowhunter Chronicles—which includes her blockbuster Mortal Instruments series—and the Magisterium series that she cowrites with Holly Black, Clare has unlocked the secrets of teens everywhere struggling with who they are...and, more important, who they can become. This year marks the ten-year anniversary of The City of Bones, Clare's debut novel and the first in her Mortal Instruments series. Fans of the series can now explor...
Tags: Books, London, Brooklyn, Sierra, Regency, Zacharias Wythe, Miller, Matt, Daniel Jose Older, Cho, Clare, Cassandra Clare, Adrian Liang, Sam J Miller, Shadowshaper, Holly Black Clare

Pride 2017 Guest Review: The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller

As part of Pride 2017, we are highlighting new and upcoming LGBTQIA books. Today, we are giving the floor over to Charles Payseur, reviewer extraordinaire and a Book Smugglers Author, to talk about the upcoming YA novel The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller. Genre: Contemporary Young Adult Publisher: Harper Collins Publication date: July 11 2017 Hardcover: 384 pages Matt hasn’t eaten in days. His stomach stabs and twists inside, pleading for a meal, but Matt won’t give in. The hunger clears hi...
Tags: Books, Book Reviews, Young Adult, Contemporary, Maya, Miller, Matt, Tariq, Guest Review, 9 Rated Books, Charles Payseur, Pride 2017, Sam J Miller, Harper Collins Publication